A Dark Tale
by MiraclesVeemon
Summary: Here it is! Yusuke, Dai, Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara are finally heading off to the Dark Tournament to fight for the grand prize. What will happen during this epic tale and will Dai being to come out alive with her friends? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

"Eliminations"

**OK, here is the next part of the series. Hope you all like this one. Please enjoy and review!**

The boat was half way to the island as Yusuke fell asleep on the ground while Dai leaned against Hiei to rest up while Kurama watched them with a smile, all though his eyes warned the fire demon to treat his kit well or else he would be eaten alive by one of the fox's demonic plants.

Yusuke was sleeping as he leaned against the side near his four friends.

"Shoot, nothing here but ugly monsters. I thought cruises were supposed to have pretty girls." Kuwabara said.

"I'm ignoring that." Dai said.

Kuwabara then looked over at the Masked Fighter with a smirk as he thought that he was stronger.

"I sure hope the island isn't as boring as this." Hiei commented.

"We're not on vacation you know." Kurama said.

"I know, but couldn't they have at least give us a place to eat with pretty waitresses?" Kuwabara pouted.

"All righty maties, open your eyes to the captain's deck." The pirate said making the humans, demons and witch all look over to the control room.

"It's still going to be quite a time before the ship finds its way to the harbor, so we have some events to keep you busy." He said.

"Oh, I knew it! It's some dinner and dancing." Kuwabara jumped up.

"The preliminary battles of the tournament will be fought here on this ship." The pirate said.

Everyone was confused by this as they tried to think of what he meant.

"Say what?!" Kuwabara asked.

"A preliminary for the competition." Hiei said.

"Now that we can't go anywhere." Kurama said.

The boat started to shake startling everyone.

"Earthquake!" Kuwabara gasped.

"Fool, there can't be earthquakes on the water." Hiei said.

"Is there a sea monster under the ship?" Dai asked as she looked out to the water.

"Look!" Kurama pointed.

Under some demons' feet, the ground started to move and opened up to reveal an arena for battles rising up.

"Whoa, that thing's huge." Kuwabara said.

"She's a real beauty ain't she?" the pirate asked.

Some demons were laughing and murmuring happily over this.

"Now I'll tell it to ya straight. 15 teams have already been chosen for the Dark Tournament and they're awaiting your arrival. Now out of all of you on my ship, only one team can make it." the pirate said.

The demons were all yelling about this while team Urameshi looked over thoughtfully.

"Hold on, I thought that we were the special guests." Kuwabara said.

"That's the way they operate." Hiei said.

"All teams pick out your strongest man and bring him to the arena's port side. There they'll fight and whoever comes out alive will be in the finals at Hanger Neck Island." The pirate announced.

The demons all cheered at this while Kuwabara cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"One big beat down, huh? Guess I'll have to show 'em the brand new Kuwabara super attack." He said as a large demon stepped up behind him.

"Yes, I do prefer larger battles. One on one makes me bored." He said.

"And an excellent chance to sharpen my claws." A green skinned demon with shaggy green hair said as he held up his hand as his claws glinted in the light.

"Now I can kill as many apparitions as I want to. After all, I can turn that boy Urameshi inside out of course." A grey skinned demon with horns around his mouth grinned

One by one, a demon from each team walked up the stairs onto the arena while Kuwabara's eye twitched in fear.

"Uh, what did he say about the human? You know, these guys are kinda big when they're standing right next to you and everything." Kuwabara asked.

He then started to laugh nervously to try and make himself seem braver then he already felt and then pointed at Yusuke who was still sleeping.

"Hey, that's right. You're the one that wants to fight them. Well, I guess as the group leader, he is your responsibility." Kuwabara said.

"He's sleeping ya moron." Dai said.

He looked at her in surprise as he then looked at the raven haired teenager as he saw that it was true that Yusuke was sleeping.

"Hey, wake up Urameshi! As the group leader, it's your responsibility!" he yelled as she tried to shake him awake.

It didn't work at all since Yusuke was still snoring softly.

"Why do I feel like I'm screaming at myself?" Kuwabara yelled as he shook Yusuke again.

"Stop." Kurama said as he stepped over making Kuwabara look up at him.

"The training Yusuke went through is apparently immense. You must give him time to recuperate." The fox demon said.

"Then who's gonna fight with all of the big monsters?" Kuwabara asked as he stood up to face Kurama.

Masked Fighter then stepped off over to the arena as the team watched her (Dai knew she was a woman since she could sense it from her aura).

"Hn. It seems we have a volunteer." Hiei grinned as the woman walked over.

"Good, I'm anxious to see what he can do." He said.

Dai leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"It's really a woman in disguise." She whispered into his ear and he nodded in understanding.

"Are you serious? We don't know jack squat about that guy. What if he loses and we get booed at the tournament?" Kuwabara yelled.

"If that happens all we have to do is kill everyone else on the boat when we reach the island. We'll say that we're the right team and no one will complain." Hiei said.

Kuwabara deadpanned at this while Dai giggled at how easily the fire demon said this.

"You didn't have too many friends growing up did you?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke was still snoring during this as Masked Fighter walked up onto the arena and all of the demons turned to her, ready to gain up on her.

They assumed she would be the weakest that would go down easily just because she is a human.

"Hey, we gotta do something to warn him. They're all gonna gain up on him and trap him in the corner." Kuwabara said.

"Patience." Kurama said.

"ATTACK!" the pirate said.

At that, all of the demons charged at Masked Fighter, but she went down into a fighting stance as her fist was covered in her spirit energy and she blasted them with it, taking them all out and sending them overboard.

"Uh, holy crap. He got everyone up there with one blow." Kuwabara said as Masked Fighter started to make her way down the stairs.

"I guess that explains why Yusuke can sleep so peacefully on a boat full of demons." Kurama chuckled softly.

The demons and pirate were all shocked by what they had seen.

"I'm sorry to say that the 16th team will have to be a human one. Yusuke Urameshi's team!" The pirate yelled, but he wasn't happy about it.

"Good job, little man. So how about you let us see under those bandages now?" Kuwabara asked the fighter as she came over to them.

Instead of removing her bandages, she pointed behind him to make everyone turn to see the demons all glaring at them and advancing on them.

"Hey, what's this?" Kuwabara asked.

"Mutiny?" Dai asked.

"You really think we care about fighting by the rules?" a purple demon with spikes on his head asked.

"There's only one way to find the best team on this boat." A brown skinned demon said as he punched his fist in his hand.

"Wouldn't you know?" Kuwabara scoffed.

"I think they stole my idea. We'll have to make them pay very dearly for that." Hiei glared.

"Of course." Kurama said as he pulled out his rose.

Then, they all went into fight as some demons advanced on Dai who gave them a smirk.

"This is gonan get messy." She said.

Then, she flung up her hands and made about three of them blow up, sending their blood and other remains around them, which surprised some of the demons.

"You really wanna mess with me now?" she asked as her eyes glowed red.

The demons threw themselves at her, but she fought back, being faster than them with all of the training she had gotten while Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara and Masked Fighter fought the other demons off.

They were either killed or thrown overboard.

Some demons even tried to go after the sleeping Yusuke, but were surprised when he lashed out at them from his sleep as if he were trained to defend himself even in his weakest moment which made Dai laugh at the demons he beat up.

"Come on, you can't scare me, grandma! I'll send you back to your grave!" Yusuke yelled.

"Well, at least he's finally awake." Kuwabara said.

"No you fool. He's sleeping." Hiei explained.

The demons were all defeated, so the team could now relax.

"Right now?" Kuwabara asked.

"Quit it you stupid old lady!" Yusuke yelled before he fell back down to rest properly.

"Even in his slumber, Yusuke is reliving his training. His preparation does make us all jealous." Kurama said.

"I thought I trained pretty hard. I had three teachers for pity sake." Dai pouted which made him smile down at her and plucked a chunk of demon flesh from her hair.

She was very messy when it came to killing, if she were his kit in the old days, he would have taught her how to kill without all the mess, but he found it made her adorable.

"But she wouldn't fight unless she had her own reasons." Kuwabara said thoughtfully making everyone look at him curiously.

"What are you mumbling?" Kurama asked.

"He's trying to talk in his sleep when he's awake." Hiei said as the four others walked off.

"Oh, hey, what happened to the fight we were just in?" Kuwabara asked.

"Everyone's dead." Kurama stated.

"Oh. Ew." Kuwabara said.

"Aw, gross. Dai, you really need a shower." He said once he took in the girl's messy form.

"Shut up or else I'll make you go boom next." Dai warned.

Chuckling at this, Kurama gathered the girl up in his arms and took her over to the side of the boat to rinse her hair out of the blood and clean up her face so she would look presentable until they got to the island and she could shower.

Later, they all went over to the front of the boat to see the island they were getting closer to.

"So I take it that's Hanger Neck Island. This is gonna be wild, you guys. Everybody make sure not to leave me." Kuwabara said.

"Aw, it's not that bad. I mean, I was in a world filed with nothing but darkness once before and almost got killed plenty of times by powerful monsters. Don't worry so much." Dai smiled at him.

He gave a small smile at that and gave her a light punch to the arm as she stuck his tongue out playfully.

Once docked, they went up to the Hotel Kubikukuri that looked very expensive as they stared up at it.

"Are we really staying here?" Kuwabara asked as he helped Yusuke walk.

The sliding doors opened up and they stared inside in amazement at what lay inside, which were humans dressed in fancy evening wear and sipping at Champaign.

"Wow! Well, it's definitely better than the pirate ship." Kuwabara said.

A man then walked over to them.

"The best of the evening gentlemen and lady. The hotel has been expecting you." he said as he turned to lead them to their room.

"Please, follow me." he said as they all walked through the crowd.

"I got a bad feeling about the people in here. Never trust the grown-ups dressed that fancy." Kuwabara said.

The rich humans from different countries were staring at them and whispered about the group.

In the room they were given, it was very nice and had a crystal chandelier above them and some sat on the couches while Yusuke was laid down on one of the couches.

"I call shower first!" she yelled.

"Huh, why you?" Kuwabara asked.

"I'm a teenage girl and I have demon guts in my hair." She stated.

"…Fair enough." He shrugged.

With that done, she went off to shower and made sure that she was cleaned off from the gunk and then changed into an orange night gown that had thin straps and the skirt reached to her knees and then joined the males.

"I gotta hand it to 'em. They sure know how to make things pretty." Kuwbara said.

"I haven't seen this much rich stuff in my whole life." He said.

The door opened up by the man from before who had a cart with six cups of coffee on it, but there was another presence that slipped into the room that made Dai go on alert.

"Your evening coffee gentlemen and lady. Compliments of the hotel." He said as he set the coffee cups on the table, bowed and then left.

"Careful, those fancy guys must be trying to poison us." Kuwabara said as he gave his cup a wary glance.

"Does that really make sense Kuwabara? Why would they bring us all the way here to poison us?" Kurama asked as he took his cup.

"The organizers want to see us fight their murder attempts tomorrow." Hiei said as he pulled his potential mate into his lap.

"You guys can talk you logic all you want, but I'm sticking with the trusty old aluminum." Kuwabara said as he pulled a soda out of his bag.

"Ah. Why is there only two coffee cups on the table?" Kurama asked.

"Because I hate coffee, Yusuke's asleep, Kuwabara think's it poison and the demon that snuck in stole it." Dai said.

Shocked at this, they looked as she pointed over to where a childlike demon with wide green eyes and brown hair dressed in colorful clothing as he had three stars on his cheek was sipping the coffee cup.

"So the girl is the brains?" he asked.

The males all jumped up at this, Hiei shielding the witch from the small demon who was kneeling on the dresser behind them.

"How did he get in here?" Kurama asked.

"He-he must've been hiding in the room before we got in here." Kuwabara said.

"Fibber fibber. I came into the door after you got here, isn't that what good boys are supposed to do? Oops, I guess I did forget to knock though." The demon said innocently as he sipped at the coffee again.

"So you guys are the guests aren't you? You're so lucky. Oh, my name is Rinku by the way. I'm on the Rokuyukai that you're fighting tomorrow." He said.

"Is that so?" Kuwabara asked.

Dai then sensed another presence at the door and turned over to see the door opened and there was a blonde demon standing there looking impassively.

"So?" Kuwabara asked.

"I wish I was a guest. They don't have to go to all of the boring opening ceremonies or openings about the rules." Rinku said as he finished his coffee and then balanced on the cup with his fingers, tilting back and forth playfully on it.

"You just appear and fight. Guess you don't have to find about all the prizes and final rounds since you're definitely going to be dead soon." he said.

"Somebody told me the guests would be special, so I got excited, but you're not special at all. Maybe I'll even beat you no hands." Rinku grinned.

"Don't you think you're talking too much?" the blonde asked making the males all look at him.

"Really, is your witch the only one who can sense when danger comes?" he asked as he eyed the girl which made Kurama and Hiei tense up as they both stepped in front of her.

"What? Who is he? Something's wrong. I didn't sense either of them comin'." Kuwabara said.

"Oh, you guys are so lame." Dai groaned as she placed her hands on her face.

Rinku jumped over to his friend with a playful chuckle.

"Hey there Zeru. I was just saying 'howdy do' to our enemies." Rinku said.

"Enjoy your last night with the living. Let's just say that tomorrow you'll be strongly resembling your coffee cup." Zeru said.

"What?" Kuwabara asked as he looked.

The cup in front of him was then hit with an invisible force and broke down the middle and spilled coffee over the table.

"Thanks for the mess, jerk!" Dai called as the two demons walked out of the room.

Once they were gone, Dai then steppe din front of everyone with her hands on her hips with a look of disbelief.

"You mean to tell me ya couldn't sense either of 'em coming in here?" she asked.

"Well, no." Kuwabara said.

"Looks like we're all screwed." Dai said as she headed for her room.

During this encounter, Yusuke remained sleeping peacefully.

While she was in her room, Dai opened up the computer that was in the room and smiled as she held up her D-3 to the screen.

"Come on out, boy." She said as it glowed blue.

Out of the computer came the small, big red eyes dragon that jumped into his partner's arms and cuddled up into her chest.

"Dai, I missed ya!" he said.

"Chibimon, how are you?" she asked as she kissed his head.

Her door was then opened by the three awake males and she turned to them all.

"You brought a stuffed animal?" Kuwabara asked.

"You guys need to learn how to sense life force." Dai sighed as Chibimon jumped out of her arms and crawled onto her head.

"This is my digimon partner, Chibimon. Isn't he cute?" Dai asked

"Hi-ya!" the dragon chirped.

Kurama chuckled warmly at this as he walked over to the girl and looked at Chibimon kindly.

"It's nice to meet you, Chibimon. I am Kurama." He said.

"I know. Dai told me all about you guys. I can't wait to see how this tournament is gonna go. I'm be cheering for ya the whole way." Chibimon said.

Hiei cringed a bit at how loud the dragon sounded, but he realized that he would just have to put up with it since Chibimon was a big part of his potential mate's life.

(The next day…)

"Welcome humans and demons alike to Hanging Neck Island!" said the announcer who was a female cat demon that looked all cutesy and girly.

Everyone had filed into their seats to watch the tournament while the teams all stood together to watch what would happen next.

"Now let the Dark Tournament begin!" the cat demon yelled cheerfully as the demons all cheered and shouted for bloodshed.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

"First Fight"

**Please enjoy and review!**

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Koto. I'll be your cute host for this year's tournament and it's gonna be a messy one." Said the fox demon.

She was very cheerful and eager to get ready for the bloodshed and death to begin.

"Those in the first few rows, raincoats are available." Koto said as the demons all cheered.

"Now here's the introduction you boys have been waiting for; team Rokuyukai!" she said as she pointed over to the side.

Zeru and Rinku's team walked out of their tunnel as the crowd cheered for them.

"And now for this year's guest; team Urameshi!" Koto called pointing to the human team as they walked out of the other tunnel.

The group all walked out with V-Mon hanging onto Dai's shoulders while Kuwabara carried Yusuke as the demons all cursed the humans, demons and witch for even being around.

"This is sure one heck of a greeting for special guests. I don't think these monsters took their grumpy pills today." Kuwabara muttered.

"I agree Kuwabara. It isn't pleasant being called a traitor by creatures you've never met." Kurama said.

"Both teams into the arena." Koto said.

Both teams walked into the arena and stood there facing each other, the other team giving them scathing looks while some of them leered at Dai.

Sensing something, Dai sighed as she knew Yusuke and Kuwabara would be freaking out when they found out that Botan, George and Koenma had brought Keiko and Shizuru here with them.

Why would those two humans be dumb enough to come to a horrible place like this?

"Is that big idiot still asleep?" Rinku asked as he looked at Yusuke.

"As always, the terms of the fighting for each match can be decided by the leaders of the two teams. Of course, if the leaders can't agree, we'll resolve to one on one fights, determining the winning team by the individual wins. Make sense?" Koto explained.

"Uh, not exactly miss. Our team leader's still asleep." Kuwabara said through gritted teeth.

"Well then, Kuwabara, you will have to be the one to do it." Kurama said.

"Really?" Kuwabara asked cheerfully.

"I don't want to go to school, Mom. Just let Kuwabara be the leader of the stupid tournament. Has anyone seen my green jacket?" Yusuke mumbled in his sleep as the others gave him amused looks.

"If that's not a transfer of power, I don't know what is. Of course I really don't like the fact that I was second choice, but oh well." Kuwabara said.

"Just make the stupid choice ya moron." V-Mon said.

"Fine, let's do this tournament terms thing." The orangette said as he walked over to the crazy female fox demon.

"Poor fool." Hiei said.

Zeru stepped up over to face Kuwabara, sparks crackling between them as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I don't care how we play this fight. It's not going to make any difference in the end. Just as long as I have time to have my victory." Zeru said.

"Let's do man to man, that's how a real man fights after all." Kuwabara bared his teeth at him.

"Sounds like an agreement. We're looking at one on one." Koto announced.

Zeru and Kuwabara turned away from each other and went back to their own teams.

"See ya there." The orangette said.

The blonde demon eyed Yusuke as he slept and then glanced over to where Dai was and the dragon she had on her back.

Dai gasped as she felt Zeru's energy rise and flames burst around him making everyone look at him for showing off his power.

"Check this ladies and gentlemen; Zeru is emitting flames from his body. Don't you love it?" Koto gushed.

"His spirit energy just shot to the roof. Gee, I hope he's not mad 'cause of what I said." Kuwabara said.

"Oh, please. He's just showing off to scare us." Dai said.

"That's not gonna work. If we faced Diablomon, then you can get him too. He's not that scary." V-Mon said making his partner smile at him.

She truly did miss him.

"Hiei, we had better be careful with this one." Kurama said.

"Hey, Urameshi, you gotta wake up, come on." Kuwabara said as he started to shake the raven awake again.

Zeru then sent the flames out over to the them, but Dai shot out a wave of magic and sent him flying back which made his teammates look at him in surprise.

"Try that again and you're gonna get it, blondie." The child of Miracles warned.

He looked over at her with narrowed eyes as he felt humiliated at being blasted back by her magic and wasn't able to block it.

Wind then blew around the witch that made the flames die out as Koto looked between the two teams.

"Wow, at least the flames are out. I know everybody's all pretty quiet after that little outburst, but remember, that's half the fun." She said.

"Now send out your fighters teams." She said.

"I'll go first." Rinku giggled as he walked out as the crowd went back to cheering.

"Yeah, that little kid is definitely mine." Kuwabara said as he placed Yusuke down and then walked off to fight.

"You can take him out, Kuwabara!" Yusuke called before he went back to snoring.

Hiei, Kurama, Masked Fighter, Dai and V-Mon all watched as their friend walked off to go face Rinku and hopefully beat him in the match.

"Damn it, should've known I get stuck with the weak one. I could've at least gotten the cute girl." Rinku said.

Hiei gritted his teeth at that while Kurama huffed since both were protective over 'the cute girl'.

"After all that embarrassment last night, I was hoping you'd run off." Rinku said.

"No limits have been set besides one on one. You're free to use any weapons or techniques you want. First person to stand down or out of the ring for 10 seconds is the loser." Koto explained.

A buzzer then sounded.

"Now begin." She said.

"I'll let you have the first shot, short stuff." Kuwabara said with a smug look.

"Don't underestimate him unless ya wanna get your ass handed to you!" Dai called.

"Listen to the girl!" Yusuke called before he went back to sleep.

Sighing, Dai then sat down as she went into meditating to calm herself and focus on her magic to keep it pure so that the taint of all of the demons didn't turn her from her path of good.

Some witches did have the danger of falling to the darkness when they get a taste of free willing magic and using it for whatever they wanted, even killing innocents.

V-Mon curled up into her side and fell sleep, his snoring getting on Hiei's nerves, but he reminded himself that this was his potential mate's partner and he needed to welcome it into his life.

Kurama smiled in amusement as he then turned his attention over to Kuwabara and Rinku.

"Why don't we play a little first?" Rinku smirked as started jumping around at an increasing speed, giggling as he flipped around and had fun.

What is this, recess?" Kuwabara asked.

"Can you catch me?" Rinku asked as the human barely dodged a kick to the face.

When a trickle of blood started to show on the side of his temple, it was proof that the brat had gotten him.

"Darn it. Where'd he go?" he asked as he glanced around for the little demon.

He then looked down and spotted Rinku was looking up at him curled up, then jumped up at him, kicking him under the jaw.

"Surprise!" Rinku said as he jumped away.

"You know, kid, you're starting to make me mad." Kuwabara said as he wiped the blood away.

Rinku kept flipping around that it almost looked like there was a whole mass of them charging in at Kuwabara.

"Stop moving." Kuwabara growled.

"That's great agility. Those movements will be difficult to follow." Kurama said as he narrowed his eyes at the fight.

"Bet you wanna give up now don't you?" Rinku asked as he kept flipping around.

Kuwabara stared at him, focussing on finding the original.

"I might be worried if it weren't for one thing. You're leaving a trail." He said as he charged at Rinku and bashed him on the head.

The boy rolled away as the crowd as cheered at the show of violence.

"Nice one, lame-o." Yusuke muttered in his sleep.

Rinku pushed himself back up and growled in anger at being humiliated.

"You're beaten. I can sense your spirit energy now." Kuwabara gloated.

Rinku tried to run to attack, but Kuwabara stepped in front of him to stop him and laughed as he gave him a kick to the face and sending the demon back.

The demons then turned on Rinku, yelling at him to be removed because a human was beating up.

"Our lessons have taught him more than we thought, Hiei. It seems Kuwabara is the type of fighter who's true skills can only be measured in the ring." Kurama said.

"Maybe so, but he still doesn't understand these fights. He should drop his honor and strike the boy while he's down." Hiei said as Rinku got back up and charged at Kuwabara.

Kuwabara swung and got him right in the gut hard sending Rinku flying back.

"This could be Kuwabara's best chance to finish him." Kurama said.

"I don't wanna torture you. Just stay down until the ref counts to 10." Kuwabara and as he chased after Rinku and went to land the finishing blow.

Sadly, Rinku smirked as he shot out of the way.

"You really shouldn't take so long with those attacks of yours." Rinku said as he hid away from the human.

The brat came off and gave a hard kick that almost seemed to break the orangette's neck from the force making Kurama, Hiei and Masked Fighter stare in horror while Dai could sense what was happened and winced from the cruelty.

Koto grimaced as she stepped back.

"Ew." She said.

She looked Kuwbara over as he was just lying on the ground almost seeming to be dead.

The demons all started to cheer after the silence while Rinku giggled.

Koto then started the count down as Kurama and Hiei watched carefully to what was going on, praying for him to get up.

"How was that, Zeru? I thought it'd be more fun if he thought he was winning for a while. The fans liked it too." Rinku said.

"I should've known. Kuwabara only seemed better because the boy was leaving a trail." Hiei said.

"So what's the point in counting? I broke the dummy's neck. Say, why don't you count his last heartbeats." Rinku said.

The demons all started cheering for the smug brat making him puff up in pride as he waved to them and blew kisses while V-Mon woke up, yawning loudly as he looked over to the ring to see what had happened and gasped at Kuwabara.

"What happened? Is he dead?" V-Mon asked as he jumped up onto Hiei to get a better look which made the fire demon's eye twitch.

Koto paused in her counting when Kuwabara picked himself back up, everyone staring in anger, shock and relief.

"Actually, my neck is just fine." He said.

Rinku gritted his teeth in annoyance before he turned to the human.

"Say, guess we'll have to fix that won't we?" he sneered.

"Tear that little brat limb from limb, Kuwabara!" V-Mon yelled as he pumped a fist and accidentally slipped, so he jumped off of Hiei's shoulders and hopped up onto Kurama's head.

Kuwabara stood up, but stumbled since he was still shaken up from the beating he had gotten.

"I love it. Just when we thought it was done, the two are facing off again." Koto cheered getting the crowd pumped up.

"No more kiddy games. You better start fighting me honest." Kuwabara said.

"They both greatly underestimate each other. I believe the first one to realize this will win." Kurama said.

"Well, at any rate, it's an entertaining fight." Hiei said.

"The tournament's first fight is locked in a stare down. Who will throw the next punch?" Koto asked.

Lightning crashed above them as everyone was deathly silent as they waited for the first punch to be thrown.

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd come back so quick. But even with my guard down and you at your best, you still couldn't beat me. Why don't you run home? Let someone else fight." Kuwabara said.

"I have a better idea. Since I couldn't beat you plain, I'll start using my real weapon." Rinku said as he pulled the green pouch from his waste and pulled out…yo-yos.

"Wanna try?" he asked showing them off.

His eyes flashed red as the yo-yos all glowed eerily with his demonic energy.

"The Serpent Yo-Yo Attack!" he cried.

"The Serpent Yo-Yo?" Kurama asked.

"His spirit power is increasing." Hiei said as the winds picked up and blew their hair a bit.

"Why do I have a feeling Kuwabara's about to get his ass handed to him?" V-Mon asked.

The two demons shared a look at this, hoping the dragon was wrong.

"Ha, I feel ya letting out all your stops now, so I will too. Here's a new trick I got." Kuwabara said as his Spirit Sword appeared in his hand and then in the other, creating the Double Spirit Sword.

"I think it's time we finished this thing." Kuwabara said.

Rinku jumped up and threw his yo-yos at Kuwabara.

"Do you really think you can win with those stupid teeny toys?" Kuwabara asked as he swung his sword.

The yo-yos then swerved around the blades like snakes and then they all hit him in the gut, chest, heart and cheek and then flew back.

"Yes, of course. The strings, they're alive." Kurama said.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who saw that, people? Somehow the yo-yos snaked themselves around to avoid Kuwabara's sword." Koto said as Rinku played with his yo-yos.

"Yeah, of course they did. You don't think I'd just throw ordinary toys around do you?" he taunted as Kuwabara pushed himself up.

"Darn it." he growled as his sword reappeared.

"When I throw the yo-yos, my spirit power goes into them kind of like they're part of me. And they bite too. You try to cut 'em down with that sword is like…grabbing snakes barehanded." Rinku said as he continued to play with his yo-yos to show off their power.

"I know a fun new game. I'll throw my yo-yos and you try to stay alive." Rinku said as he jumped up and threw his yo-yos, walking the dog right at the human as sparks flew from the contact with the floor.

"This is my take on walking the dog." He said.

Kuwabara used his sword to lift up a block from the stadium floor to block the attack, but it just crawled over it as Kuwabara kept repeating the action until Rinku just thrust the yo-yos right through the blocks and hit Kuwabara in the face, chest, heart, ribs and his sword hand, knocking the blade away.

He cried out from the pain as the yo-yos tied themselves around his limbs and lifted him above the ground and then three more rammed into his back.

Rinku then started slamming him down to the floor while he was still tied up, laughing with a sick glee as he did so.

With a great big grin, Rinku lifted Kuwabara high into the air, far above the ground that a drop would break many bones or even kill the human.

"Well people, I'll let you use your own imaginations for what happens if that human's poor frail body falls from on top of the stadium and crashes all the way down into the hard stone floor. Isn't this tournament to die for?" Koto gushed.

Rinku then pulls the strings down making Kuwabara scream while Kurama and V-Mon gasp in horror, Dai's eyes snapping open as she stood up and ran over to witness the end, tears of worry in her eyes.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

"Flowers of Blood"

**Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy and review!**

Dai stopped at the stage and looked up in fear as she saw Kuwabara was about to get slammed down into the stadium and get killed and she had no way of stopping it.

This tournament was all about killing or being killed; either you fight to save your life or you get killed for not accepting and you get killed if you try to help the person fighting, which would lead to the entire team being slaughtered after as well.

"Yusuke!" someone screamed.

Looking over, Dai spotted it was Keiko who was yelling while Shizuru and Botan sat next to her, the brunette standing as she yelled and all of the demons around her were staring at her.

"Yusuke, how can you keep sleeping when your friend is in trouble with these nasty demons?!" Keiko yelled.

"That wasn't smart." V-Mon commented as he jumped off of Kurama and went to Dai.

"Help him, Yusuke! Get off your lazy butt and help him!" Keiko yelled.

V-Mon looked over to the crowd to see that Keiko was being faced off by a demon, but Shizuru burned his tongue with her cigarette making him run away and Keiko continued to run closer to the fight.

"You know it's really hard to take it serious when a little kid with yo-yos is about to finish me!" Kuwabara yelled.

"What's the matter with you, Yusuke? Your friends need you now! Think about that!" Keiko yelled.

Dai groaned in annoyance at this girl while V-Mon rolled his eyes.

"Hang tight, Kuwabara! I don't suppose you can fly can you?" Botan called up to the orangette.

"Hh? Oh, hey, Botan! Oh, sis! I didn't know you were gonna be here. I'd give ya a better greeting, but I'm kinda busy right now." Kuwabara called down to the trio.

"Rinku seems to be hesitating. Why don't we ask the fans what they want?" Koto suggested.

"Can we kill her?" V-Mon asked.

"Don't tempt me." Dai said.

Kurama grinned at his kit and ruffled up her bangs a bit, but then looked up to their friend as the crowd cheered for Kuwabara's death.

"OK, guess that settles it. Gotta give my fans what they want and they want a drop." Rinku said.

He then threw his arms down, Kuwabara following, the humans, fire demon, fox demon, witch and digimon all staring in horror as they watched.

"This is it, people. Get ready for a boom." Koto said.

Kuwabara moved his hands, holding them in front of himself as they glowed orange.

"You just made your biggest mistake, Rinku. You should've never let me use my hands." He said.

He then used his Spirit Sword which shot down to the ground, stopping his death descent and allowed him to get down on his feet safely and then sprung his body off to get Rinku.

"Kuwabara makes a sensational recovery. Time for the nitty gritty." Koto said.

"So the sword absorbs your fall like backwards bungee cord, huh? That's a pretty neat-o idea for a block head. But there's one little problem though. You falling at me just makes it easy for my yo-yos to hit you at once and you can't handle that!" Rinku said as he launched his yo-yos at him.

"My only chance for a hit." Kuwabara said as he shot out his sword at them.

"Not that crummy sword again, I can dodge that easy." Rinku gloated.

To his surprise, the sword snaked around the yo-yos and then went right at him.

"Say what? His sword can bend now?" he asked stunned.

"Get the hell out of the way, Rinku!" Zeru called.

Rinku and Kuwabara were both hit by their attacks and were flung back.

"He really hit…" Rinku trailed off with wide eyes.

"That's right. I hit you." Kuwabara said.

They both landed outside of the arena and everyone watched them, unsure of what would be done, Koto looking them over as well.

"So, who's the winner?" Shizuru asked.

"Beats me." Botan said.

"Um, right, well, both the fighters have been extraordinary knocked out of the ring at the very same time." Koto said making the crowd yell in outrage.

"Was that the focus of your training?" Hiei asked the fox.

"Well, more or less. The main focus of our training was to gain control of his Spirit Sword." Kurama explained.

"The rules say you're only allowed to stay out of the ring for 10 seconds, so, um, I'm just gonna start counting." Koto said.

"I won't be surprised if any of them get on their feet on time." Hiei said as the female fox started the countdown.

"It's true. Both the yo-yos and the sword made solid hits. I guess we'll know soon enough." Kurama said.

"Get up!" Yusuke yelled in his sleep making his team look at him.

"You're late, Kuwabara!" he said, then went silent as he started snoring again.

"And 5!" Koto said.

Rinku was the first to get up and pulled herself up onto the stage, crawling on.

"Damn it. I didn't think he could throw such a blow. I'll have to use a lot of my energy just to cover." Rinku groaned as his hands glowed as he tried to heal his wound.

"Rinku had entered the ring after 5 counts, but it's not over yet." Koto said.

"That's OK, he's down for good. I'll have time to heal." Rinku muttered.

"Get up, Kuwabara, I'm serious. I know you're used to losing, but not now." Yusuke said in his sleep.

Kuwabara's ear twitched as he heard those words and shot to his feet as Koto started to count again.

"What did you say?!" he demanded.

"Six, Kuwabara. You have four counts to get in the ring." Koto explained thinking he was talking to her.

"Not you; Urameshi." He said as he stormed over to his leader.

"Out of my way! Little punk, ya wanna say that to my face? Come on!" Kuwabara said as he grabbed the sleeping boy by his collar.

"Oh, you're pretending to be asleep now? You scardy cat!" he yelled.

Growling, Dai whacked him over the head making him turn to her.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Get your carcass up there right now or else I'll tear you apart piece by piece." She threatened making him go pale as Koto started counting again.

"Fine. Hey, hold your horses, I'm coming!" Kuwabara yelled.

"Oh man, I can't take anymore of him right now." Rinku groaned.

He used his yo-yos to wrap around Kuwabara, tying his arms to his sides.

"Let go of me you stupid yo-yo strings!" he yelled as Koto got closer to the end of the countdown.

"He's cheating!" Kuwabara yelled, but the female fox didn't care about this at all as the tension grew.

"Ten!" she yelled, Kuwabara falling back in disbelief.

"And Rinku's the winner. Team Rokuyakai are the winners." Koto said.

Kuwabara went to go attack Rinku, but Dai grabbed his ear and pulled him back, scolding him for being a sore loser and to get over it while the others just watched this, but when the orangette tried to argue, he was whacked hard over the head and fell to the ground and Rinku then ran off to his side of the field, but was further off from his team as he tried to heal himself.

"Oh, the next competitor has already stepped up." Koto cheered making team Urameshi look over to see that a blue skinned and darker blue haired demon had stepped up onto the stadium.

"I'll handle this one." Kurama said as he walked off.

The two demons stared each other down, the blue demon looking smug while the fox had a stern look.

"Kurama, considering the stakes, we can't afford to take any chances. Don't leave the ring with him still alive." Hiei said.

"Naturally." Kurama said.

"I don't wanna fight him…be careful Kurama." Yusuke mumbled.

"What is he talking about?" Keiko asked.

"I think it's simply time I stepped in." Botan said as she jumped down.

"Are you sure you can do that?" Keiko asked.

"We will deal with the rest of their team. You relax." Hiei said to Kuwabara as the human pushed himself into a sitting position and was rubbing his sore head.

"Hey, I'm not out of this yet. If Yusuke doesn't wake up, I'll take the last guy." Kuwabara said.

"Excuse me? I'm fighting too, pally, so back off." Dai warned with a sharp look that made him back up.

"All right boys, I'm here, now let's whip this team into shape." Botan said making the team look over at her.

"How did you get here?" Kuwabara asked.

"Leave before you hurt yourself." Hiei said looking away and making her pout.

"Well, that's a jolly thing to sat to someone who's going to help you win don't you think?" Botan said.

"Huh? How're ya gonna do that?" V-Mon asked.

"Let me show you. Ta-da!" Botan said as she pulled off her kimono to show her in a different outfit.

"In addition to detective's assistant and pilot of the River Styx, I'm also a licenced trainer. I'll be looking after you all in making sure you stay in tip top shape for fighting." She said.

"Oh, great. Then maybe you can help me nurse this wound here." Kuwabara said as he started to unbutton his shirt, but Botan was running off towards Yusuke and slapped him.

"Spirit World to Yusuke, wake up. Come on now." She said.

"None of that will work. The boy is determined." Hiei said.

"Well, at least I'll get him out of the way." Botan said as she grabbed his legs and started dragging Yusuke off to the side.

With that being done, everyone turned their attention back to the two demons in the ring.

"You know, that Rose Whip he's got must be ten feet long. Where does he stash it? All the ways I think of sound kind of painful." Kuwabara said.

"You're asking this now? He can use his spirit energy to make it shrink back into a rose or seed and hides it in his hair. He specializes it using plants as weapons. Pretty handy too." Dai explained.

"Second fight; Roto versus Kurama. Begin!" Koto said.

"I know you've been spending time in the Human World. We all do what we must. I only hope you didn't, say, get attached to one of them." Roto said.

There was something odd about the way he said it, but Kurama kept calm and calculating.

"For example, be mournful of their death." Roto said as a blade made of his own skin appeared.

"What is your point?" Kurama asked as Roto ran at him.

As he started slashing away, Kurama dodged every swing with elegance and great speed with a grin on his face, looking almost like he was dancing.

"Oh, he's awesome." V-Mon said.

"He's clearly no match for Kurama. What a joke of a round. It's pity you couldn't have taken him and let Kurama deal with the little child and his yo-yos." Hiei said.

"Hey, you watch it, shrimp! I just got cheated is all." Kuwabara defended.

"Will you guys just shut up and watch the fight?" Dai asked.

"You skills weren't enough for that tournament. Say your last words." Kurama said as he was behind Roto and ready to deliver a blow that would kill him.

Roto looked worried, but then smirked.

"I have your human mother, Kuama. Or should I say Suichi?" he sneered as he went to slice at the fox who jumped away as he felt shock and anger from the news.

As Kurama landed away, a think line of blood appeared on his cheek showing that he had been hit from his hesitation.

"What happened? He's bleeding. You said he was no match for Kurama." Kuwabara said.

"Stupid cheater. I hate him. Little stupid piece of…" Yusuke mumbled in his sleep making Botan look at him curiously.

"You sure you're asleep?" she asked.

Roto laughed as he held some sort of device in his hand.

"Allow me to introduce my little button. When I press it, a signal will be sent to my demon brother. He's been tracking your mother for some time you see. And he's been very anxious to bite her head off." He said.

Kurama gritted his teeth in anger at this, but got out of his fighting stance and stood there staring at Roto with a dead look in his eyes.

"That jerk. I wish I was up there just so I can blow his stupid head off." Dai growled.

Hiei placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"So you understand?" Roto asked as his hand returned to normal.

He then ran at Kurama and started hitting him now that he knew the fox couldn't fight back and this just disgusted Dai and got her more angered than ever.

Roto was stopped when Kurama flicked a pebble at him and hit him in the face, but Dai could have sworn she saw something else was thrown near Roto's stomach.

Was that another pebble?

"Oh, honestly. Do you think throwing a pebble at my face is the best thing to do in this situation?" Roto asked.

The fox kept silent as he just kept staring with that same look on his face as Roto pulled the device out again.

"You've been warned! With a push of this button, your mother will meet her death in a very unsightly manner. Now fold your arms behind your back and let me hit you as I please." Roto smirked.

Kurama slowly folded his arms behind his back.

"Oh, yes. That's much better. I love the posture of forced submission." Roto said.

"Freak." V-Mon commented.

"Why train hard to be the best when you can hold on to one of these?" Roto gloated.

"Mysterious. Kurama has become totally obedient to his opponent." Koto observed.

"What's wrong, Kurama? Let him have it!" Kuwabara called.

"Quiet." Hiei said.

The other demons were all cheering because they thought Kurama had become hypnotized by Roto while Rinku frowned at the dirty trick that Roto always used to win fights.

Roto snickered as he walked up to Kurama.

"You want to try? I can see it in your pretty eyes. I know what you're thinking. I wonder if I can quickly cut off that left arm of his but what if his severed finger slips and presses the button?" Roto taunted as he held up the device.

"Kurama remains absolutely motionless. What is the cause? Has he lost his willingness to fight?" Koto asked.

"Why don't you answer her?" Roto asked as he kicked Kurama in the stomach, the fox gritting his teeth as he glared at him.

"Tell the crowd the truth. Tell them you refuse to fight for the sake of a human tramp." Roto said as he started punching Kurama in the face.

V-Mon snarled as he digivolved into XV-Mon much to everyone's surprise as Dai's D-3 glowed bright blue, showing it was her energy flaring up to allow her dragon to go into his Champion form.

"Holy crap!" Kuwabara gasped as he jumped back.

"If I get in that ring, I'll tear him apart!" XV-Mon yelled.

"Easy, boy." Dai said as she wrapped her arms around his larger and muscular arm.

XV-Mon snorted as he calmed down and just looked at what was going on.

"It's brutal, it's violent, it's wonderful! Roto is punching him like a side of meat and there's no retaliation." Koto said.

Roto kept on punching Kurama as the fox glared at him, still looking more superior to the blue demon which made him stop as he was sweating from his workout.

"Damn it." Roto said as he made his blade appear on his hand.

"Ah, I hate that look. Despite all I've done, you still have that look like you're superior to me." Roto said as he slowly made another cut on Kurama's face, the redhead not even flinching at it.

"Stop that look!" Roto yelled as he sliced Kurama across the face making Hiei, Kuwabara, Dai and XV-Mon all stare in horror.

Still, even after that, Kurama turned to look at Roto with that look on his face.

"It doesn't matter anyway because I'm the one that has the power now." Roto said as he lifted his left leg up.

"I would like you to lick the scum off my boot." He said.

"The only scum I see is him." Dai said.

"I just can't seem to keep it clean. Then after you've licked the whole thing clean," Roto said as he licked Kurama's blood off of his blade.

"I will decapitate you and spare your nasty mother's life. And since you care about her, Suichi, it's really your only choice." Roto said.

"I will not." Kurama said.

"Ugh, what?" Roto asked surprised.

"Go ahead. Press it now if you wish." Kurama said as he unfolded his arms and brushed off the dust on his shirt.

"Now your true character emerges. You're not special. Nothing less. You're just as selfish as the rest of us demons here. Look at me like I'm dirt, but in the end it's a lie. You think of only yourself." Roto said as he hand returned to normal and he laughed.

He looked insane and worried now that Kurama was playing by his rules anymore.

"Push it." Kurama demanded.

"I will!" Roto laughed as he held the device up.

He then froze as something started to grow out of his chest which made Dai realize what it was she had seen him get hit with.

He was hit by a seed that was growing.

"I can't move." Roto gasped as Kurama walked over to him.

"Fighting on the strength of one threat is a risky gamble. What if I truly didn't care or what if I could just make you immobile?" Kurama asked as he hit the device out of Roto's hand and held it himself.

"It's hard to tell what's happening now, but it's clear Kurama has control." Koto said.

"I've sown the seed of the Death Plant in your body. And it's had plenty of time to get root. I feed it with my energy. I have but to will it and it will instantly bloom. I'm afraid there won't be anything left of your evil life after that." Kurama said as he turned and started to walk away.

"Wait, Kurama! You don't have to do this. I never would have actually hit the button, I swear it! I'm just a low class. I don't know any better. Come on, you believe in mercy, don't you?" Roto pleaded.

Kurama stared at him with an emotionless look.

"No." he said.

Just then, buds sprouted from all over his body, blood spraying around the ring as the buds bloomed into beautiful flowers that fed off of Roto's dead body.

"What irony. Such beauty sprung from such an ugly soul." Kurama said as he continued walking off as the scoreboard showed team Urameshi's win.

"Now that one's definitely over. The score is tied at one." Koto said.

"What a fool. So intent on proving himself he couldn't notice your moves. Don't worry about his demon friend. He vanished the moment Roto died." Hiei said.

"Then you knew." Kurama smiled.

"What a relief." Yusuke muttered making everyone look at him.

"Yes." Kurama said.

Laughing at this, Dai just hugged the fox around his waist as he ruffled up her hair while XV-Mon sat down next to them.

"I was wondering why ya didn't fight back." The witch said.

"Worry not, kit. I will not die that easily." Kurama swore.

"Enough with the secret glancing stuff. What just happened?" Kuwabara demanded.

"Yes, do tell." Botan said.

"It's better not to ask." Hiei grinned.

"Agreed." Kurama said.

"Ah, that isn't very friendly of them." Botan pouted with her hands on her hips.

"Demons think they're so darn cool." Kuwabara glared.

Feeling heat in the room, Dai glanced over to see Zeru was glaring at them so she then stuck her tongue out at him playfully much like a baby fox would.

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame"

**Please enjoy and review!**

"Will the next fighters please come forward?" Koto said into the microphone.

The crowd was still cheering like crazy after the sight of bloodshed and the body was removed from the stage, but the demons were also mad that Roto was taken out by a human loving demon.

"Next fighters forward." Koto said after no one moved.

"Hel-lo!" she called and then frowned in annoyance.

Suddenly, Zeru stepped up and walked into the ring to battle as the demons cheered while team Urameshi were all shocked.

"What? Their team leader is fighting now?" Kurama asked.

"He should go last. Maybe there's a mistake." Kuwabara said.

"No, Zeru is definitely the strongest of the four remaining. He's fighting angry. It's obvious he's not taking this seriously enough." Hiei said.

Yusuke turned over onto his side and scratched at his nose while Botan frowned at him for still sleeping.

"Yes and we're just the picture of professionalism." She said.

"Urameshi team, can we get on with it here?" Koto asked.

"I'll go. This one's been irritating me ever since last night." Hiei said as he threw off his scarf and then walked up onto the ring.

"Go Hiei!" Dai cheered.

XV-Mon lifted her up onto his shoulder as he sat down on the ground, both watching the fight that was soon to start.

"From Rokuyukai, Zeru. Team Urameshi, Hiei." Koto said.

"I know a great deal about your technique. You harness heat energy with such great precision that it resembled a knife cut, but one of the edges was sloppily melted. You have your flaws." Hiei said.

He was talking about the coffee cup that Zeru had made break last night.

"As do you. I don't think I need advice from someone who uses a fake eye." Zeru commented talking about the Jagan.

"Fight!" Koto cried.

Flames appeared around Zeru making Koto back up so she didn't get burned by them while Hiei just stood there unaffected by the heat.

"Intimidated yet?" Zeru asked.

The flames then picked up and grew making Kuwabara jump back while Dai created a mental barrier to keep the flames off of her and XV-Mon while Kurama stepped aside and Masked Fighter jumped up onto the wall so she didn't get hit.

All of the demons in one section of the audience got burned to death as well and Hiei just chuckled at Zeru.

"I wouldn't laugh just yet." Zeru said as a fireball appeared in his hand.

He then blasted the flames at Hiei who jumped away as Koto crawled over to try and get a better look at the battle.

"Unfortunately, Hiei was not charred by the fire, but there's more coming his way." Koto said.

It was true as Hiei was flipping in the air to avoid the flames that chased him and he rested on the top of the stadium, only to jump away when Zeru blasted flames at it making the demons near that section run away.

"These are some good seats." Shizuru commented dryly.

Hiei landed back in the ring as Zeru chuckled while flames licked at his skin.

"Zeru's blows are fantastic and Hiei ran for his life, along with the fan base." Koto said.

"You've become so quiet now. Too frightened to notice any more of my supposed flaws?" Zeru asked.

"Actually, I'm bored." Hiei said.

"Actually, you're dead." Zeru said.

He then roared as his flames blasted up to the roof making the demons all go silent as they watched what was going on.

"Wow, he's kinda crazy." Kuwabara said.

"Aren't they all?" XV-Mon asked.

Hiei kept quiet as he watched Zeru go into a meditative stance as the flames all hovered above him.

"Um, what's this?" Koto asked.

"Oh, wow. His skin is changing color." She said as she stepped away from the flames that nearly hit her.

Zeru smiled smugly as his skin transformed into a molten lava red color as he absorbed the power of the flames.

"He seems to be engulfed in heat. He's glowing like a poker." Koto observed.

Hiei smirked, looking more interested in the fight, but the look was quickly gone when Zeru landed a punch into his stomach making Dai gasp in horror as Zeru's hand went right through to Hiei's back.

His body was then sent flying as it was covered in fire.

"Ah, nice one." Koto said.

Kuama and Kuwabara gasped while Dai had her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

"I'm not finished yet." Zeru then said.

He then blasted the heat he gathered inside of him and blasted it at Hiei, hitting him directly making him yell.

"Wow, Zeru. You never told us you could be so savage. I love it!" Koto said impressed.

Hiei's charred body was still on fire as he slowly floated down to the ground.

"No. no, I can't believe it." Kuwabara said.

Everyone was completely silent as they watched Hiei's form, Dai hiding her face as tears fell from her eyes.

"You see it yourself people. Hiei is done." Koto said.

XV-Mon made a distressed sound in the back of his throat as he patted his partner's back as she started sobbing while Botan and Kurama gave her sympathetic looks.

Hiei's body finally hit the ring while Zeru scoffed at the sight of it.

"What a weak thing. You can rest in hell." He said as he turned his back on the dead demon.

"Well, yes, that fight wasn't a long one, but when you got scorching moves like Zeru's, a little goes a long way." Koto praised.

"Yes." Someone spoke.

Everyone then gasped while Zeru froze in fear and then Dai looked up in relief and hope.

"So talented, I'm reluctant to make the kill." Hiei said as he was standing back up as a pillar of flames was around his body.

His body wasn't as charred as it looked to be, but his cloak had been burned away while he only wore a light blue wife beater that had a hole burned in the stomach area where Zeru's hand had went through, Hiei smirking at everyone's surprise.

"Oh my! Hiei survived. He's on his feet. He's…smoldering." Koto said.

"He survived it all. How could you?" Zeru asked.

Hiei chuckled as his bandana was burned away by purple flames to reveal his Jagan Eye that was glowing blue.

"I believe we've covered that. So my Jagan Eye may not be natural, but it does give me exactly what I need!" Hiei said as blue light appeared around his body as the flame faded away.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!" he called.

"I can't believe it's true. He's going to attempt the Darkness Technique." Kurama said.

"The Darkness? What does that mean?" Botan asked.

The light faded away as Hiei held his hand out as a black flame tinted with blue appeared making Zeru frightened for his very life.

"It's so…I can't even describe it." Dai gasped as she sensed its power.

"But that…comes from the deepest part of the Spirit World. Oh, help me." Zeru whimpered.

Pillars of black light and sparks shone down from the sky that was blood red while the clouds were black as well.

"You know, it's impossible to control it completely. When I release it, I have no say." Hiei said as his hand holding the flame shook from the energy.

Sparks crackled more as explosions were outside of the building.

"I have the power to pull you into oblivion. I assume just my right arm will do." Hiei said as a tiny smoke in the shape of a dragon flickered up from his hand for a second.

Zeru paled as he whimpered from the power.

"You never should have insulted the Jagan Eye because you see, in a way; it has its own mind and loathes disrespect." Hiei said.

Black smoke was slithering around the ring making Zeru step back from it.

"Resisting is something I wouldn't do." Hiei said as Zeru cried out in fear.

"I know I'm supposed to stay, but considering the little situation around here…retreat!" Koto yelled as he ran out of the ring to save her own skin from the smoke, sparks and light.

"DRAGON…OF…THE DARKNESS FLAME!" Hiei yelled as his shirt was torn off and he blasted the ball of energy in his hand at Zeru.

It transformed into a large purple dragon made of fire that slithered over to the terrified blonde demon who didn't even get a chance to scream as the dragon hit him while everyone watched in fear and/or awe at the sight.

When the dragon and mayhem faded away, Koto poked her head back up to see what happened as scorch marks were all over the ring.

Yusuke was still sleeping peacefully as Masked Fighter stood next to him with her arms crossed.

"Hiei has succeeded." Kurama said.

Hiei had a look of surprise on his face as he slowly started to lower his burned arm down.

"Where's Zeru?" Koto asked as she kneeled on the stage and looked around, then gasped when she found him.

His scorch mark was imprinted on the side of the wall.

"Well, he's definitely out of the ring." Koto said.

"Believe me, he's not coming back. That cinder's all that's left." Hiei said making her gasp.

"Yes and I suppose counting to ten would be a little ridiculous." She said looking back at him.

"Let's give it up for Hiei!" she said.

No one cheered as the demons in the crowd were all to scared and shocked by what they had seen as Hiei looked over his burned arm.

After a few minutes, the demons started cheering as Kuwabara and XV-Mon did so as well.

"Yeah, we're punching our way to the top! Hiei could beat anyone with that move. Hiei could beat anyone with that move." Kuwabara said in sudden realization that he could never beat the fire demon in a fight now.

"Oh man, what if he decides to be a bad guy again? What if he decides to shoot us with that dragon?!" he freaked out.

"Don't worry, fool." Hiei said as he walked over with his hand shoved into his pockets.

"We've entered into an alliance and I'm not the type to break it. Of course, after we win the tournament, I can't guarantee a thing." He said, but then gasped lightly as he felt a jolt a pain.

He then walked down off of the ring while Kurama watched him with a stern gaze.

Hiei then stopped when he saw Dai standing in front of him and was worried she may be scared of him now after she had seen what he could do.

Instead of running off in fear, she ran right towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck making him gasp lightly at the sudden show of affection.

"I thought you were dead out there." She whispered sadly as tears fell onto him.

Giving a small smile, Hiei wrapped his good arm around her waist and held her while Botan watched with a smile.

"Oh, how sweet." She gushed.

Kurama was happy for them, but was now worried.

After all, Dai is still human and would live a shorter life than Hiei would, so she would age and die within 80 or possibly 90 years if she were lucky enough.

Still, the issue was her death would tear someone as unstable as Hiei apart and he would lose control of his powers and go on a rampage, so he would need to be killed.

This was something Kurama should have thought of before.

The last two remaining members of team Rokuyukai started running away so they wouldn't be killed next as Rinku watched them go fearfully, but then the sound of punching made everyone watch the tunnel to see what was going on.

A tall and muscular man with a blue Mohawk walked out dragging the two demons with him as he held a bottle of vodka in the other.

He threw the two dead demons down and gave a grin.

"Oh, crap, it's bright out here." He said in an Australian accent.

"You're here?" Rinku asked as the male started gulping down the vodka.

He then started mumbling about the demons running from a fight and how it wasn't his fault if he killed them, but it was slurred and hard to understand as he tried to lift himself up onto the stage, but fell back.

"Hey, no need to make the ring taller, it's just some fun." He said.

"Oh dear. A drunk madman's escaped to the ring." Botan said as the man pulled himself up onto the stage.

The man stumbled around, but then just sat down.

"Hey, you Nancy Sheila, you look pretty hot. Could you come 'ere a second?" he asked pointing at Koto who looked nervous as she looked around as if asking for help.

"I got a question for ya!" the man yelled punching the floor making her jump and run over before he got violent.

"Um, oh, what kind of question?" she asked.

"Two other fellas just died on accident." He said.

"Oh, really? She asked as he burped and he held her nose in disgust.

"How can our team continue?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter how many die, each team's allowed only one alternate fighter. Rokuyukai can fight with Rinku and one alternate if they have one." Koto said.

"You sure about that?" the man asked.

"I am a walking rule book. My entire life is this tournament. Of course I'm sure." She said.

"YEAH!" the man cheered shooting up making her jump back startled.

"That means I can fight these last three ones myself. I think that's really ripper." The man said as he fell back down on his bottom.

Koto then walked up to him curiously as his hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder making her shriek.

"Thanks for everythin' Sheila." He smiled as he hugged her and rubbed her head and then let her go as he stood up.

"Prick." Koto muttered as she held her nose in disgust from his scent.

He then stumbled to the center of the ring.

"His spirit power's a lot less than Zeru's but for some reason I've got a creepy feeling. Watch out you guys." Kuwabara warned.

"What could you be worried about? He's only an alternate fighter and besides, he's a lush." Botan pointed out.

"I think that makes him more dangerous." Dai said as she still clung to Hiei.

"Let's go you socks. I want to get a good brawl in before my buzz runs off. Hey, even better, let's all fight at once." The man laughed loudly and obnoxiously.

"So, who's gonna take him? It hasn't been very long since all three of us fought our matches and I don't think any of us want Dai to fight him." Kuwabara said.

"Can't I just blow his head off?" the witch asked making Hiei smirk.

"Hurry up!" the man yelled.

"It looks like he's extremely impatient." Koto said.

"What'd you say?" he turned to her making the fox whimper.

"I only say it as I see it." Koto said nervously.

"Don't go on confusing us with big words. Now get me a fighter." He said pointing at the Urameshi team.

Koto then ran off over to them to get away from the lush.

"Pretty tail she's got that one, I think I might fall in love with her." He grinned as he chewed on his toothpick.

"Urameshi team, present your combatant." Koto said as she stood in front of the team still on the stage.

"Oh, we still have that Masked Fighter guy. Come on man, it's your turn. We can't let someone as innocent as Dai fight that crazy drunk." Kuwabara said.

"I'm starting to feel a bit insulted." Dai pouted as the Masked Fighter kept silent and closed her eyes.

"If you can't give me someone, I'll have to disqualify you." Koto said.

"No, hold on a second. I guess I'll have to take control of this fight. Unless of course I can get Urameshi to wake up! That's weird, where'd he go?" Kuwabara asked.

The place where Yusuke had been sleeping was now empty as everyone looked around curiously.

"Try over there." Dai said as she pointed.

Yusuke was fully awake as he jumped up onto the stage smiling and looking ready to go.

"Well, that's unexpected." Kuwabara said.

"Indeed." Botan said.

"Waking up from the smell of alcohol. I can't help but feel a touch of home." Yusuke said as he scratched his ear as one eye closed.

"Hey all you stupid demons, I've been trying to sleep through your blood trash talk long enough, but now I'm ready to kick some asses!" Yusuke smiled as he raised his arms up.

"He reminds of you when you were younger." XV-Mon said to his partner who giggled.

"Are you sure you're ready to fight? You've been sleeping for almost a day now." Botan said as she watched Yusuke stretch.

"Give me a break. That's why I'm taking this jerk. I could use some light exercise in the morning." Yusuke waved her off as he walked forward.

At the sight of him awake, the demons all yelled loudly to see the Spirit Detective fight against this new demon.

Yusuke grinned and tilted his head at the man who hiccupped.

The demons then chanted 'Kill Yusuke!' over and over again.

"Gee, that's intimidating. I've never heard so many voices hate one person so much." Kuwabara said.

"Hn, but can you really be surprised? Yusuke's become something of a Boogey Man for the apparitions." Hiei said.

"Yeah, I guess he has beaten a bunch of bad guy role models. But I've been helping Urameshi. Why didn't they chant kill me?" Kuwabara asked.

"That's because you lost." Botan stated.

"Oh, they didn't know that before the fight." He smiled nervously.

Kurama was looking between Hiei, Yusuke and Chu as he thought over what had gone on, worried about the drunk being the true leader of the team instead of Zeru.

Hiei had also sacrificed his right arm to beat Zeru and may never be able to use it again, but knew that Chu may be stronger and give Yusuke trouble.

"Stay there for a bit. I forgot somethin'." Chu said.

He then disappeared and grabbed Koto's microphone.

"Sorry Sheila, I've gotta borrow." He said.

"Ew. Please don't call me that." She said.

"Oh, OK. I just wanna set the record straight. Before we get this thing going. Right basically, I'm a really nice person and the only thing I suck at is paper, rock scissors." Chu said.

Everyone was silent at that as they looked at him in disbelief before they started talking about what he was talking about or why he would even mention that.

"Uh, let me try to translate for the drunkard here. Earlier this morning, the Rokuyukai team decided on their roster through paper, rock, scissors. Chu lost pathetically and became the alternate, but he wants you to forget all that because he is number one." Koto said as she got her microphone back.

"Yeah!" Chu growled.

"No need to thank me. That's why I'm here." Koto hummed.

"Wow, she's a really perspective person isn't she?" Kuwabara asked.

"Oh no. Chu's gonna start acting dopey again. I can feel it." Rinku whined as he jumped away and turned his back on his teammate.

"I'm strong, OK? You get what I'm tryin' to yolk here?" Chu asked.

"Yeah, stupid, I understand." Yusuke chuckled as he threw off his jacket.

"I'm not too difficult, you know. You were too scared to fight me before, and now you're blaming in on some dumb game." Yusuke said as he started jumping around to get ready to fight.

"Nah that's not right! Didn't ya hear what the foxy was sayin'?!" Chu yelled.

"Oh, rocks and scissors." Yusuke taunted.

Someone then insulted Chu about being a pathetic drunk which made Chu run off of the stage.

"Who said that?" he demanded as he climbed into the crowd.

He then reached for the first demon he saw and grabbed him by the neck and then went explain why he lost the game, because his fingers were stuck on scissors before he then grabbed a vodka bottle from a demon and jumped back down.

"Come on, at least let me stretch my muscles." Yusuke whined.

"This is plenty of great. You don't think I can fight at all do you? Well, let me tell you something, mate. I'm like a master at drunken fighting." Chu said as he started gulping down the vodka.

Chu then mumbled incoherently about some stuff as he pulled himself up onto the stage.

"Listen to this jerk, he's insane." Botan said.

"I know from school seminars, drunk driving kills people. Maybe drunk fighting's the same thing." Kuwabara said.

"Didn't anyone understand that guy at all because all I heard was Chu, crap and blah blah blah." Dai said.

"This is embarrassing." Rinku groaned.

"Yeah, wobbly, give me a break. So the tipsy fighting thing might be weird, but I've still heard of it before. Perhaps you have something else to make this a real challenge. I didn't come all this way to babysit a drunk." Yusuke said.

"Wait a minute. You won't yabber over there once I hit my groove. Of course, I've got to stumble into it first." Chu chuckled as he started to stumble.

"We gonna enjoy this." He said as his body moved as if there were more than one person.

"His movements." Kurama said.

"I know. He's beginning." Hiei said.

Chu stopped moving as he glowed red, Yusuke grinning as he got ready.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

"Stumbling Warrior"

**Please enjoy and review!**

Thunder boomed loudly as the demons cheered, Yusuke and Chu staring each other down as they got ready to fight.

"This is so exciting. I've never heard such an uproar from an early fight. I can't hear myself. I could say horrible things and no one would know it." Koto said as she looked around in awe.

"Ever so slowly the crowd is calming down and it seems the same is happening for Chu. His glazed over eyes could almost be called sober." She said as she looked over at the demon, then the Spirit Detective.

Both males had grins on their faces as everyone waited for when the fox would call the beginning of the match.

"Suddenly I fear this Chu won't be so easy." Botan said.

"Yeah, I hear ya." Kuwabara nodded.

"You know, I've heard lots about you. Course I think you're a scared little kid who gets lucky." Chu said.

Yusuke glared at him as his fists were clenched tightly.

"Now, now. Try to loosen up." Chu said.

"Let the fight begin!" Koto cheered.

Chu glowed purple making Kurama and Dai tense up at the feeling of it.

"At last, he shows himself. I've never sensed spirit energy of this kind." Kurama said.

"Watch carefully. I want to know what you think of my stumbling little feet." Chu said as he started to do that stumbling walk that looked like he was moving fast and there were more than one of him.

"What the-?" Yusuke gasped as he watched.

"That guy's fast." Kuwabara said.

"I notice how his body flows." Kurama said.

"Yes and his speed only adds to the problem. Good luck trying to hit him." Hiei said.

Masked Fighter was watching Yusuke intently with her brown eye that was showing from the bandage mask.

Chu was stumbling around Yusuke looking a bit like he was dancing.

Koto rubbed at her eyes to make sure she wasn't just seeing things wrong.

"Wow people, I guess the loon has talent after all. His moves are so fast and bizarre that I can't even tell where he is." She said.

Yusuke's eye kept moving around to track Chu as he went, sensing his energy as he went.

Finally, Chu made his move to hit Yusuke, but the raven held up his arms and blocked the attack making the demon smirk as he retaliated by punching Yusuke in the stomach.

Chu chased after him and punched him again, sending the teenager down.

"Even from this killer view, I couldn't track Chu's strange moves but I suspect we missed some of Yusuke's fantastic agony. Let's check with our slow motion, instant replay features." Koto said as everyone cheered and looked up to the screen.

It then showed how Chu had punched Yusuke five times in the stomach sending him up in the air and then finished with a blow to the neck.

"Quite a beating." Botan said.

"Yeah, he's not even fighting back." Kuwabara said.

Chu then walked over to Yusuke as he lay on the ground.

"Had enough have ya?" he asked.

Yusuke then shot up to his feet.

"Of course not!" he said making Chu stumble back in surprise.

"This game has just begun." Yusuke growled as he ran at Chu and started throwing punches, but Chu was moving too fast.

"Would you stop jiggling?" Yusuke yelled at him.

Chu went to punch Yusuke who ducked and brushed the arm off just as Chu appeared behind him and then started trying to upper cut him only for Yusuke to block, but he was then punched in the face over and over again making Yusuke stumble back.

Yusuke then spat out a bit of blood to the side and wiped at his mouth and then ran at Chu throwing punches at him, but the demon kept stumbling out of the way from the hits.

"Try using your feet or your elbows maybe. Yeah, he wouldn't expect that." Kuwabara tried to offer advice.

"Kuwabara, do me a favour and shut the hell up!" Yusuke yelled as he finally landed a blow to Chu's face.

"All right!" Kuwabara cheered.

"Yes!" Dai laughed gleefully.

Chu went sailing down onto the ground as Yusuke glared at him panting before the demon faded away and reappeared behind Yusuke and kicked him down out of the arena and into the stood wall that broke from impact.

"My, such a delicious attack. I wish we had time to watch every blow on the instant replay screen. Suffice to say, Yusuke Urameshi has been buried in a pile of rubble." Koto said.

"Uh, did everyone else feel that? Chu must be five times stronger than that brat I went up against. I think Yusuke's in trouble." Kuwabara winced.

Everyone was staring at the rubble where Yusuke was buried under, the demons cheering.

Suddenly, Chu burped and stumbled back and fell on his butt, his drunkenness overcoming him.

"Hey, foxy, can you lend me a hand?" Chu gestured Koto over and she held her microphone out to him.

"Right, I still need another one!" he yelled into it.

"Let me translate again. As with all the fighting masters, Chu gets affected the more he drinks. I believe he's asking us to be more patient." she was then pulled into Chu's arms as he pet her head with a silly grin.

"Exactly." He said.

"What do you think the chances are of us getting together lady?" Chu chuckled.

"Slim to none." Koto answered.

"Hey lovebirds, he's out of the ring!" a demon cried reminding Koto of her job as she stood up.

"Oh, wake up, jerk. I was checking on Chu to make sure he OK to fight. Now, moving on." Koto said as she started the countdown.

"I hope Urameshi doesn't get stuck out of the ring like I did." Kuwabara said.

"Then one of you would have to fight Chu in the tie breaker." Botan nervously said.

"Yeah, I was thinking about that. That's why I hope he gets himself up." Kuwabara said.

"Come on now kid. I thought you wanted to see some challenging techniques. I haven't done nothing bonzer yet." Chu stood up.

As Koto got to 9, the rubble moved as Yusuke shot out from under and flipped onto the stage.

"That was close. I could've been killed if I didn't guard myself." Yusuke smiled as he started rolling his muscles to get the kinks out.

"I get it. The old see it coming and block with the shoulder trick. What a champ, right?" Kuwabara grinned big as he wrapped his arm around Kurama's shoulder, the fox smiling calmly.

"Nice move." XV-Mon complimented while Dai hugged Hiei happily.

"Yeah, rip him a new one!" Keiko cheered, then sat down bashfully at her brash attitude.

"There you go." Shizuru smirked.

"Sorry, it's exciting." Keiko said.

"One dumb mistake and I'm pushing daisies right?" Yusuke asked.

"Yeah, pretty much kid." Chu crossed his arms.

"You know this whole life and death thing; I'm starting to like it." Yusuke licked his lip and then chuckled as Chu chuckled as well.

"Let me guess; you too?" Yusuke asked.

"Never any pleasure in playing if it ain't for keeps." Chu said.

"That's good drunky, we've finally found something in common." Yusuke said.

"You can fight at any time." Koto said irritated that they were just talking.

Yusuke scoffed as he held out his hand in the shape of a gun, his finger tip glowing which made Chu curious.

Lips curving up, Yusuke then moved his hand to the other direction and let loose his Spirit Gun to the side of the building making the demons run as the debris fell, but landed on most, killing them.

"Hey, w-why the heck did he go and waste his bullet?" Kuwabara asked confused.

"Good question. I assume it wasn't a matter of bad aim." Botan said.

"Maybe he was trying to make a point." Dai suggested.

"What point and how would that help?" Kuwabara asked.

"How the heck am I supposed to know? My sister's the Empath, not me." Dai snapped at him.

Yusuke then brought his pointer finger to his mouth and blew away the smoke.

"My Spirit Gun, you better get to know it. I got three more left and one could probably kill you." Yusuke said as his three other fingers glowed.

"Not too long ago I could only fire one of these a day, but well, I was just so scrawny back then." he said.

"Just like Chu, Yusuke has introduced his move before using it on his enemy, but this is the Dark Tournament, not the Happy Game. Where are the dirty cheats? The black mail stress, the back stabs?" Koto ranted.

"Darn it, Urameshi! I'm the one who's got the honor code you copier!" Kuwabara yelled.

Chu then laughed loudly in amusement.

"Everyone's shouting at you now. You wanted a fair fight." He laughed, but then turned green in the face as he started stumbling around again.

He then started mumbling about something coming back up from his stomach.

Yusuke looked at him in disbelief as the demon got over his sickness before he vomited all over the place.

"Right, it's about time. You got your secret technique, OK. And I've got mine." Chu said.

"I don't believe it. He's really gonna do the move and so soon." Rinku gasped.

Everyone then tensed up as they watched to see what Chu was going to do next.

"Watch me carefully, it's complicated." He warned.

"So what's his special technique he's so proud of?" Botan whispered to Kuwabara.

"I don't know but he must be good. As much as he's building it up." Kuwabara answered.

Chu then pulled a flash out from behind his back.

"This is the strongest alcy ever made. It's called Ogre Killer." He said.

"Oh, yeah, people. That's some strong stuff. Take a sip of that and you wake up in jail the next morning. And in the arms of a harry demon you really don't wanna know." Koto said.

They all watched as Chu started downing all of the alcohol in the flask.

"And he's definitely taking more than a sip." Koto said wide eyed as Chu finished the flask and then tossed it down onto the ground.

Curious, everyone watched as Chu shook and almost seemed close to convulsing as his body glowed purple as a streak of red was seen for a few seconds and the purple mist grew bigger.

There were dark red waves all over the building as Dai shivered from the dark feeling that was beginning to make her sick, namely because of the scent of the alcohol.

Hiei pulled Dai into his chest to calm her down.

"Something very strange is happening. The entire stadium is being eclipse by Chu's aura." Koto gasped.

"What's happening to him?" Botan asked.

"I don't know. It just feels weird." Kuwabara told her.

"The entire audience can only wait in a hush as Chu reveals his technique. Dare we hope for something truly horrific." Koto stepped back as Chu's muscles bulged.

Silence filled the air as all eyes were on Chu, waiting to see what would happen when suddenly the aura faded away and the color returned to normal.

Hands covering his mouth, Chu then ran over to the side and vomited making Koto and many other demons fall back in disbelief.

"That was disappointing." XV-Mon sweat dropped.

Koto then went over to check on Chu until he got over his sickness while everyone watched.

"He might feel pretty terrible now, but actually Chu's becoming pretty invincible." Rinku said.

Yusuke looked over to him as did Dai to hear what the little monkey had to say.

"His secret technique isn't the drink of course. It's the true form the drinking brings out. When I first met him, I was dealing with a bunch of low class demons. He when he first came into his technique, he beat the whole gang in one shot. And now that he's powering up, you'll be just another chalk mark on his wall." Rinku grinned.

Yusuke looked back over to where Koto was rubbing Chu's back as he heaved, trying to get over the sickness that was slowly fading away.

"Hey by the way, you smell great." Chu said.

"Really? It must be the shampoo." Koto smiled as Chu then stood up.

"Now back to the beast." He turned to Yusuke as his skin took on a darker tone tinted violet.

"Suddenly he's sober again. Alcohol does not affect him the normal way. Somehow he soaks them in like a catalyst." Kurama said as Hiei nodded.

"How odd. So the chemicals in those drinks actually bring out his energy." Botan said.

"Chu proves resilient after his hacking spell, ready to fight again." Koto said.

"I think you should act more excited, kid. After all, it's what you've been waiting for." Chu said as purple mist appeared around him.

An orb of energy appeared in his hands, crackling to life as it looked like a miniature version of the sun.

"Now we're definitely in for some action. Chu is revealing an entirely new attack. I can't tell exactly what it is, but heads will definitely be rolling." Koto cried out in excitement.

"Hey, what is that stuff?" Kuwabara asked.

"His energy you lump. He's creating his finishing move. If you look closely at it, you can see alcohol actually mixed in with his energy." Hiei observed.

"Whoa, that blast he's holding looks like Urameshi's Spirit Gun." Kuwabara exclaimed.

"And approximately equal in force." Kurama said.

"What? Don't you think we should tell Yusuke that?" Botan asked.

"Time for us to test our powers." Chu said as he held the ball of energy and then ran off.

"I was waiting for the end fight." Yusuke said as he chased after him, both males running side by side as they watched each other.

"Yusuke already knows." Kurama said.

Chu then stopped.

"See you on the other side!" he called as he then wound up the ball like a baseball player would and threw it at Yusuke.

As it came sailing at him, Yusuke flipped and fired off his Spirit Gun at the energy ball, both attacks colliding and creating sparks as they fight each other.

"My, the two fighters' energies are duking it out." Koto called out.

"Get him Urameshi's energy!" Kuwabara cheered.

Then, the two energies faded away.

"It's a draw." Hiei said.

Yusuke and Chu then ran at each other.

"Look at them. They're charging each other at the exact same time." Kuwabara said.

The two males then started punching each other, both landing blows as they moved at near impossible to track movements.

"My gosh; they're not even bothering to block those head shots." Kuwabara blinked.

"This is pure offence. They gave up fighting with their brains a long time ago. Now it's simply a matter of who can endure the most pain." Hiei explained.

It was hard to tell who would win as the two males continued to assault each other than Yusuke got punched back, skidding to a stop.

"Bad move." Kurama said.

"Now I have you!" Chu said as he summoned up another energy ball, this one much larger than before.

"This is it. Finish that idiot, Chu!" Rinku cheered.

"This time Chu's spreading his energy into a much larger blast. It's amazing how much control he has over the size." Hiei said.

"It is and by the sheer volume, Yusuke won't be able to block it with his Spirit Gun." Kurama said.

"Try not to sound too worried." Botan quipped.

Chu then threw the energy ball, Yusuke cursing as it came sailing at him.

"He's off balance. He can't defend." Kurama said.

"Just get out of the way!" Kuwabara yelled.

"Yeah, you did it, Chu. You beat him. No one can dodge that blast!" Rinku grinned.

Everyone watched as Yusuke held his arm up to the blast, unsure of what he would do to stop it.

Yusuke then surprised everyone by calling out his Spirit Gun Double as he shot at the energy ball, the two shots blasting right through the ball.

"It's breaking through." Botan gasped.

"Move it, Yusuke!" Dai called.

"Careful, Urameshi. His blast is still going!" Kuwabara yelled.

"It's too late." Kurama gritted his teeth.

Both fighters were hit by the blasts making everyone gasp as the two were nowhere to be seen.

"Double devastation?" Koto asked.

"Oh no! He hit him! They're all gone. They've been disintegrated." Kuwabara cried.

"Don't say that, Kuwabara. I don't care if it's true or not." Botan looked around the ring.

"No trace of either warrior can be found. Nothing. Not even a little pile of ashes. Has this fight truly ended in a draw?" Koto asked.

"Up there!" Rinku called.

Looking up, the two males were falling down from the air when they got blasted off by the force of the attacks.

"Unbelievable. Both of them have survived." Koto's eyes went wide.

Yusuke landed first, his shirt being gone as it was burned off and then Chu landed, his shirt also burned off, both men looking beaten badly.

"Well, they've burned their skin, shortened their breath and somehow lost their shirts. Altogether, I call it a successful fight." Koto said as she looked them over.

"With that tow for one shot, you've used up all the ammo for you Spirit Gun. Maybe you can round up enough energy to swing your little dukes, but that's about it, right?" Chu panted.

"Pretty much defenseless." Yusuke breathed hard.

"I can barely lift my arms." Chu said.

They both then started laughing which freaked Koto out since she didn't understand how two males who were trying to kill each other could get along so well afterwards.

"Can you hear them? They're laughing at their own helplessness. It seems the strain of battle has driven them into hysteria." Koto said.

"Sounds more like the start of a beautiful friendship to me. You can't be true friends unless you try to kill each other first." Dai smiled.

XV-Mon snickered at that since he knew what she meant.

Taichi and Yamato were at each other's throats all the time when they were younger and then there were times when Ken as the Digimon Kaizer had tried to kill Dai, now the two duos were best friends.

"They're at the end of their line. They know how this will end." Kurama said.

"In a tie?" Kuwabara asked.

"No, that's not what he means. This battle determines everything. They'll refuse to give up." Botan said.

They kept on laughing for a few seconds more until Yusuke and Chu both stopped and decided to get more serious.

"Mate, I know a way we can finish this for keeps." Chu said.

"I'm all ears." Yusuke grinned.

To be continued…


End file.
